


Late Night Talks

by tobisebaschan



Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: Anxiety, Drinking, Fluff and Angst, Spoilers, Swearing, nerds being nerds, some angst though sorry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-04
Updated: 2016-11-04
Packaged: 2018-08-29 02:19:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,472
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8471821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tobisebaschan/pseuds/tobisebaschan
Summary: Based around an in-call conversation with Zen from Day 10 of Seven’s route where Yoosung is a drunk, whiney child and Zen has to babysit him. (a few lines of dialogue are from the actual call, but most of it is not!)





	

**Author's Note:**

> This was the first thing I've written since about 2013, so it's horribly rusty and makes me cringe a bit when reading it back lmao. I also ended up making Yoosung a bit more childish than I would've normally done, but he was pretty heavily drunk for most of this so that's my excuse XD

Maybe it was a mistake offering Yoosung a shot.

No. 

It was _definitely_ a mistake.

All Zen wanted was an excuse to forget--forget V, forget Rika, forget that [MC] and Seven were about to walk head-first into trouble. To forget the distressing truth that everything was falling apart, that the happy little world he had built for himself had come crashing down in a matter of mere hours. Which is why when Yoosung had asked to join him earlier, Zen thought a drink (or five) would be the perfect distraction. Especially since his friend had sounded so equally heartbroken, and perhaps lonelier.

Greedy fingers traced their way up Zen’s over-sized tee, reaching out for the phone currently pressed against the actor’s cheek. Zen shivered as the contact caused the skin on his forearms to rise, annoyance etching itself into his expression. He swatted at the younger boy’s eager grasp with a glower. “Hey, Yoosung-ah, get away from me. Hey, hey, I-I don’t like you getting your hands all over me! What’s wrong with you? Let go! Hey!”

“But hyung,” Yoosung slurred, pulling out--what he believed to be, at least-- his irresistible, little sibling voice ~~(it worked on Rika, okay)~~. “I wanna talk... t-ta [MC]! I wanna hear how they are!! Gimme the phone! Hey! You selfie freak!! _Gimme the phone_!!!”

“If you gave me a second to actually _talk_ to [MC], I could ask,” Zen hissed, “but you won’t quit _touching me--_ hey,  _stop_!!” This garnered a grumble or two of defiance from Yoosung, but he must’ve felt his complaints were thoroughly voiced because he slumped away to the open space of the sofa, arms folded across his tiny frame. Zen let out a weighted sigh, eyes rolling into the tenth dimension. “He’s driving me crazy. Sorry. He said he was having a hard time so I gave him a shot, but I didn’t realize he was this much of a light-weight...”

The minutes rolled past as their conversation droned on, [MC]’s voice like a sweet hum playing through Zen’s fuzzy brain. He hadn’t had too much to drink, not much more than Yoosung at least, and yet Zen felt like he was walking on clouds. Everything was calm--almost too calm--but he’d take it for now. His friends were safe for now, and the worries and pain from the hours prior were temporarily forgotten. 

\------

“Ah.” A velvety laugh rumbled off Zen’s chest as his gaze fell upon Yoosung, who was currently curled into a ball against the arm of the sofa, drool from his parted lips coating the pale vinyl. “I need to put him to bed. ...Stay safe. I’ll be waiting for you to call.” _Click._  And once again, the overwhelming silence was all that was left. Thoughts would soon begin to creep back in if Zen didn’t distract himself, so he decided he’d help his friend to bed. It’d stave off his anxious mind for now. 

“Hey. Sleepyhead. You’re ruining my couch.” Lithe fingers gently prodded Yoosung’s shoulder. “Hey. _Hey_.” Calling him a heavy sleeper didn’t cut it, especially under the influence. “Wake up, kiddo. You shouldn’t sleep like that. It’ll ruin your neck.” Although, Zen was sure any position Yoosung used whilst gaming was sure to do way more damage than this.

A few inaudible words sounded from the half-awake Yoosung as he sat up, palm massaging the nape of his neck. “Ow...”

Zen couldn’t help but grin, reaching over to tousle his companion’s sandy locks. “Yeah, well, that’s what you get for passing out like that. C’mon, you shouldn’t sleep on the sofa. You’ll catch a cold.”

Yoosung’s tongue poked out in protest. “Okay, _mom._ ” Ah, but he was awake now; there was no way he was going back to sleep. Especially not while he had the buzz of earlier’s rum still tickling his system. “...Hey, Zen?” Yoosung piped out, peeking from the corners of his eyes at the other.

Zen knew from experience that look meant nothing but trouble. With a distasteful frown, the actor leaned away from Yoosung. “...What?”

“Meow.”

“...Excuse me?"

“I _said_ , meow.” Yoosung lifted his hands, balling them into fists, a massive smirk planted on face. “Hyung, you like cats, right?”

“Oh _hell_ no.” Zen hopped up off the couch faster than Jaehee’s patience runs out when talking with the boys, hands raising up in alarm. “I did _not_ sign up for this.”

“But hyung! I’m cute, right? Look! _Look_!” Yoosung propped himself up on his feet, one hand sandwiched in the middle, the other pressed to his cheek still mocking a paw. “ _Meow_!”

Zen groaned internally, resisting the urge to facepalm. Why did he agree to let Yoosung spend the night again? Oh right, V had royally fucked everything up. “Knock it off before I kick you out.”

A genuine pout pulled at the corner’s of the younger’s lips, his hand wilting. “Aw, no fair... you said I could stay!”

“That was _before_ you decided to pull... _this_ shit.”

“But _hyung_!” Yoosung whined, form drooping. “I was just playing around!”  


“Enough with the ‘ _hyung_ ’,” Zen imitated with a mocking bat of his snowy lashes. “No more cats, or you’re out!”

A resigned sigh slipped passed Yoosung’s pursed lips. “...Fine.” He leaned back against the sofa, resuming his former position of protest. “What do you wanna do then?”

Zen hesitated for a few moments before retaking his spot, crimson irises checking the other’s status now and then, wary of another attack on his sanity. “Uh... Maybe watch TV? Or one of my performances? I’ve got a few on tape thanks to Jaeh--” But in the few seconds he’d taken to point towards his DVD collection, he had let his guard down. A momentary mistake that led to pressure at his side from his companion, whose lips now hovered inches from his ear. That was it. He knew it was coming. And he couldn’t move fast enough to stop it.

“ _Meow_.”

“That’s it!” Limit reached. End game for Yoosung. Zen grabbed his companion by the ~~scruff~~ collar, dragging him out the front door with a resounding, “night!”, and with it he locked Yoosung out, deadbolts and all.

But the sound of the alarm announcing the system’s booting up sent Yoosung into a panic. Tears filled those now heartbroken, lavender eyes, fists banging on the wood separating him from his only comfort for the night.  “Z-Zen! I’m sorry, I was just trying to cheer you up!” he pleaded through sniffles and gasps of air. “I’m really sorry! Please let me back in! I... _I don’t want to be alone_...” 

Silence filled the air after Yoosung’s voice wavered off, his slender frame beginning to quake as the realization of everything prior hit him like a ten pound rock. V had betrayed them--and not just the little ‘boohoo he took Rika from me’ kind of betrayal. He had truly and absolutely turned his back on his friends, and traded them for the people that were out to get them. He had hurt Jumin, his childhood friend, Seven, who had always given him absolute trust, Zen, who owed him his life. He’d abandoned them, without even the slightest explanation. And he wasn’t ever coming back. 

“Zen, please...” Yoosung couldn’t bear it. The overwhelming silence, the crashing waves of so many different emotions. He didn’t want to suffer through this alone, and he thought Zen hadn’t either. Broken sobs rang through the air as Yoosung held himself, arms crushing his ribs as he desperately tried to cease his crying. He scolded himself over and over for the things his anxiety whispered to him: being a worthless crybaby, not being able to ‘man up’ and handle things like The Almighty Zen™, Rika leaving him because he wasn’t _good_ enough, maybe all his harsh words having a play in V’s vanishing. A part of him knew he shouldn’t let the gray cloud get to him, but the near two year’s worth of untouched emotions that he had tried so desperately to swallow up had come pouring out and he couldn’t stop.

Zen found he too couldn’t handle the overbearing loneliness. He hadn’t intended to upset his friend, especially since he knew Yoosung was only trying to help ~~, but he _really_ hated cats~~. There had been enough hurt today, and knowing that he had helped add to it sent a blow to his gut. Zen let out a weighty sigh, hands coming to a rest on his hips. “Fine. I-I’ll you back in, but _no funny business._ Understand?” He was met with silence. “...Yoosung-ah?” Zen’s nerves began to fray as he worried whether or not his friend had up and left. What if he had genuinely upset Yoosung more? And what if that caused him to do something stupid? With his heart caught in his throat, Zen threw open the door, finding momentary relief seeing the younger of the two crumpled up against the side of his house. 

“Hey,” the actor cooed, resting his palms on Yoosung’s shoulders. “I’m sorry for kicking you out like that... I know you were just trying to make me laugh, so I’m really sorry... and... and thank you.” 

His apology was met with a muffled sniffle; Yoosung had been desperately trying to wipe the tears (and snot) from his face in embarrassment, cowering away from the taller man. “Hey, hey! Stop, you’re gonna hurt your cute nose.” The tiniest of smiles began to tug at the corner’s of Yoosung’s lips, barely visible over his hoodie’s soaked sleeve. Zen felt a grin beginning to play on his lips in response as he swallowed a sigh of relief. 

“You know, i-it’s okay to cry. It’s a normal thing to do...” Zen knew the younger had a lot of self-doubt, and often felt inadequate and worthless because of it, something he himself had experienced often as a child. It wasn’t something they frequently spoke of, but it was what Zen had read between the lines over the years. It was only through rare times like these they’d show each other their true colors. 

Zen’s thoughts were interrupted by Yoosung leaning into him, soft sniffles occasionally sounding from the fabric smothering the younger’s face. Sometimes it was enough of a comfort just to have someone there with you; Zen would let him work things out at his own pace. 

“You know, I won’t tease you, if that’s what you’re worried about,” Zen murmured, giving Yoosung’s shoulder a tender squeeze. But sometimes even voicing one’s fears was enough to trigger anxiety. Yoosung instantly froze up, furiously blinking away some freshly forming tears as he buried further into his sleeves. Zen felt a sigh rising up once again as his stomach wrenched. The last thing he wanted to do was upset Yoosung _again_. “Hey, let’s go back inside. I’ll get you some tissues.”

\------------

“I bet you’d like it if you gave it a shot.

“I’m _not_ going to play LOLOL with you. I don’t even have a computer.”

Yoosung’s eyes widened. Who didn’t have a computer? “Wha--” He shook his head, wanting to return to the incredibly important topic at hand. “I swear, you’ll like it! You can make them look however you want and you get to meet all these people and you can d--”

“That’s great, but I’m not going to play.”

“Oh, come on! You won’t know until you try,” Yoosung griped, giving Zen’s arm a playful nudge.

“Saeyoung-ah plays and he says it gets boring fast.”

“That’s just because he says he likes coding games more than playing them!! Don’t listen to him!”

Zen let out the millionth sigh for the evening, head thudding against the back of the sofa. Maybe he should’ve left Yoosung outside after all. “Can we just go to bed now? We have the party early tomorrow.”

“I thought you were a night owl!”

“I am, but I usually don’t have to deal with whiney brats who get snot and drool all over my nice things,” Zen jested with a playful sneer.

A lovely tinge of coral tinted Yoosung’s round cheeks, a sleeve covered hand reaching up to shield his rubbed-raw nose and puffy eyes. “H-hey!! You said you wouldn’t tease me!”

Laughter shook Zen’s frame, eyes curling into crescents as a wide grin broke out over his face. “Ah, I did, sorry. But seriously, can I go to bed now?”

Yoosung huffed through pursed lips, puffing out his cheeks. “Fine. But I call the bed!”

“Hey! Wait!! This is _my_ apartment! I get first dibs!”

A bright bout of laughter sounded from Yoosung as he leapt onto Zen’s queen bed, sprawling his lanky limbs out towards each end. “Nah, I’m the guest!! I’m supposed to get special treatment!”

“Not in my house. Actors have to take care of their bodies,” Zen scolded, prodding at his friend’s back. “Get up!” His pestering was met with silence, to which he let out a few more ‘hey!’s in protest.

Yoosung finally peeped up, voice muffled by the down comforter, “hey, hyung?”

“...Yeah?” Zen queried, hesitance etching his expression. Something about the other’s tone sounded like he was up to no good.

“I’ve got an idea,” Yoosung announced as he rolled himself over. “Let’s just... _cuddle_!” Hands grabbed once more at Zen’s black tee, sending him sprawling onto the bed with a cry of surprise. Yoosung let out a wild laugh, rolling onto his back, hands coming to a rest on his abdomen. “Really, though. Can’t we just share the bed?” He’d never admit it out loud, but sleeping next to a warm body would help soothe him to sleep much faster than laying alone with his thoughts.

“...” 

“Please?”

A strangled groan escapes Zen’s exasperated scowl, but said nothing else as he reluctantly writhed his way under the covers. Zen would also never admit it, but the company was welcome under the circumstances.

“Good night, hyung.”

“Yeah, yeah.” The light switched off, causing the blanket of night to fill the room with a sense of calm and quiet the pair had not seen since hours prior to the evening’s chaos. _Everything is fine_ , Zen decided. _Everything is... good._ They were alive and well, and that’s all that mattered for now. “Hey, let’s enjoy the party for [MC] and Saeyoung-ah tomorrow, yeah? They worked really hard for us.”

“I just wish I could see them... I’m so afraid they’ll--”

“I know. But don’t think about it. You won’t get any sleep if you do.”

Yoosung lay still for a moment, mind wandering for a time before he nodded. “Mm. You’re right.” And Zen was. Any further thought would keep the pair up for hours more. “G’night for real,” he murmured through a yawn. “I promise.”

Zen laughed quietly, chest feeling light and content as he replied, “yeah, yeah. Night for real.”


End file.
